On the WOK.radar

In 2025, at the Warsaw Observatory of Culture we decided to explore the participation of children from Belarus and Ukraine with migration experience in the capital’s culture. Turning to the experiences and observations of young people is an important lens through which to view the rapidly emerging multi-ethnic society that Poland in general, and Warsaw in particular, has become.

Czym jest dziś praca artystyczna i jak jest postrzegana przez różnych interesariuszy miejskich: urzędy oraz instytucje kultury. Jaka jest jej charakterystyka? Z czego się składa? W jaki sposób zależy od materialnych uwarunkowań – ekonomicznych i przestrzennych? Na te pytania staramy się odpowiedzieć w publikacji Pracow(A)nie artystyczne.

The guide can be explored linearly or selectively – like a map or a dictionary, which can be returned to as needed. From the PISA 2000 report and Joanna Dobkowska’s article featured in the publication, we learn that “reading for pleasure has a greater impact on children's future than their economic status.” New technologies, enormous social pressure, ubiquitous short forms and instant gratification – these constitute the revolutionary nature of changes in the lives and development of children and young adults. The digital revolution, although increasingly transparent, should not disappear from the radar of contemporary culture researchers. It is through the lens of the digital revolution that we see scenarios that will help books find their place in a world of constant change.

2025 is another year in which digital technology occupies a prominent place in publicdiscourse, capturing imaginations and challenging long-held beliefs and behaviors. The emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs), such as Gemini and ChatGPT, means people now have access to tools that can support their work and creativity. However, these tools can also stifle creativity and take over difficult and often tedioustasks that require reflection, patience and time.

How does the experience of motherhood change people working in artistic professions? How does it affect their professional situation and daily work? What kind of challenge is the attempt to combine the professional sphere with caregiving responsibilities?

What impact does freelance status have on the lives and career trajectories of contemporary dance artists? How do professionals in conceptual dance organize their work in a "project-to-project" mode?

The publication Jacy tacy nowacy? Doświadczenia współpracy polskich organizacji kulturalnych z białuskimi artystami w zakresie projektów teatralnych [Who are we all? The Experience of Cooperation on Theatre Projects between Polish Cultural Organisations and Belarusian Artists] attempts to observe the cooperation of Belarusian artists and artist groups with Warsaw-based cultural institutions on theatre projects. We are primarily interested in the challenges and possibilities of supporting artists.

Who should answer this question? There are many people who read and promote reading, and multiple approaches to the problem. At the Warsaw Observatory of Culture (WOK), we have created a platform for sharing cross-sectoral knowledge and reflections on reading, in order to capture the transdisciplinary sense of reading promotion.

The study of cultural education in Warsaw is a study of the city itself: its radically changing community; its shifts and uncertainties in the face of global challenges; as well as its local conditions and their impact on the lives of Warsaw’s residents. WOK presents the report Cultural Education in Research and Action, which concludes the second phase of our study on cultural education practices in Warsaw.

The Open and Developing Catalogue of Intercultural Practices is the result of months of work by the React! network. We believe it can be helpful in working with individuals with migration and/or refugee experience. We call the catalogue ‘developing’ and ‘open’ because it is a dynamically evolving collection of practices that we will adapt and update in response to changing needs and cultural contexts. ‘Developing’ means that the document is constantly updated with new experiences and solutions.

Presenting the solutions developed by experts for the cultural sector during a time of transition. On 26 September, a debate on the organisation of the financing and functioning of culture in Poland took place at the Nowy Teatr in Warsaw. The debate focused on four main issues: the law on the status of professional artists, cultural institutions, the decentralisation of culture, and social and civic culture.

The project offers perspectives on the development of Warsaw's cultural offering until the year 2040. The results showed the directions that cultural institutions should take in view of becoming more attractive in the eyes of young people in the future. The results and the formulated recommendations can be adopted by all institutions in the development of their cultural offer.

The Museum Watch Governance Management Project was drafted to help the museum community address management challenges more efficiently. The idea emerged out of the existing Museum Watch Programme, introduced by CIMAM with the aim ‘to assist modern and contemporary art museum professionals in dealing with critical situations that undermine their ability to undertake their professional practice and effect a museum’s ability to operate to international standards of best practice’.

The document contains recommendations, guidelines, and inspirations on the subject matter of projects, ways, and methods of working with recipients, as well as support tools for individuals conducting activities in the field of cultural education. The Cultural Education in Warsaw document intends to aid in planning individual educational activities an comprehensive strategies of institutions in which cultural education plays an essential role.